Negros Occidental’s provincial government is helping empower women farmers by providing capital to their associations for the marketing of agricultural products.

Data provided by the provincial government on Thursday showed that this February, two beneficiary associations received financial assistance worth PHP250,000 each under the Farmers Entrepreneurship Program (FEP), a key initiative under the province’s Gender and Development (GAD) Program.

“We turned over the financial grant to the beneficiaries to help them improve their capital and businesses,” OIC Provincial Agriculturist Dina Genzola said in a statement.

The AMIA Village Organic Farmers Association (AVOFA), located in Barangay San Isidro, Pontevedra town, is implementing a project called “Agri-Products Consolidation and Marketing Enterprise.”

AVOFA has 81 members, 62 percent of whom are women.

The Tampalon Rainfed Upland Farmers Association of Kabankalan City, meanwhile, is engaged in palay (unhusked rice) buying and rice retailing.

Among its 393 members, 65 percent are women, with operations based in Purok Bougainvilla, Barangay Tampalon.

The FEP, being implemented by the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA), aims to empower Negrense farmers, especially women, by strengthening their entrepreneurial skills, improving their access to resources, and enhancing their ability to market their agricultural products to increase profitability.

“By offering financial assistance for marketing and business development, FEP helps farmers upscale their operations, build capacity, and foster better market linkages,” the OPA said. (PNA)